Parshat Chukas 5781
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha the incident at Mei Merivah. Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu to take his staff and speak to the rock, and then the rock will provide water for the people and their flock. Moshe, however, hit the rock instead of speaking to it. As Rashi explains, drops of water came out at first, and only upon hitting it a second time, did large amounts of water flow out. As a result of this infraction, Moshe and Aharon were punished and not allowed to enter Eretz Yisrael.
The Zohar Hakadosh in parshat Naso explains how a Jew is meant to conduct himself and serve Hashem in the morning. The obligation of service to Hashem in the morning contains two components; one of speech and one of action. And these two aspects of Avodah are meant to complement each other and work in harmony in creating a unit of Avodas Hashem.
The Zohar explains that in the realm of action, there are four activities, or mitzvos, that one must perform every morning. First, when we wake up upon relieving ourselves, we wash our hands and perform the mitzvah of Netilas Yadayim. Secondly, we perform the mitzvah of Tzitzis by putting on a Talis Katan and a Talis Gadol. The third mitzvah is when we place Tefillin our arm and perform the mitzvah of Tefillin shel Yad. And the fourth mitzvah we perform is that of Tefillin shel Rosh.
Corresponding to these acts, there are four mitzvos of speech. The first one is reciting the order of Karbanos, the daily sacrifices brought in the Beis Hamikdash. The second is praising Gd and accepting His Dominion as expressed in the Pesukei D’Zimrah, the psalms of Dovid HaMelech. The third section is the recitation of Keriyas Shema and its brachos, or as the Zohar Hakadosh refers to it, Tzilusa De’Meyushav, the prayer recited while sitting. And the final stage is Tzilusa De’Me’umad, the Shemoneh Esrei, the prayer recited while standing.
The Sfas Emes teaches that Moshe and Aharon together represented a unit of speech and action. Moshe Rabbeinu was the man of speech who gave the Torah to Am Yisrael. Though he began as (Shemos, Chapter 4, Pasuk 10), Lo Ish Devarim Anochi, I am not a man of speech, he ended up as a man of speech, as we read in the first pasuk in sefer Devarim, Eileh Devarim Asher Diber Moshe. Aharon, the Kohen Gadol in the Mishkan, was the man of Avodah, the man of action.
The command at Mei Merivah was to both Aharon and Moshe, as the pasuk says (Chapter 20, Pasuk 8), Atah V’Aharon Achicha. As a result, it included both elements; action and speech. The pasuk says Kach es Ha’Mateh, action, and V’Dibartem el Ha’Sela, speech. In the end, however, there was only action and no speech. There was a fulfillment of Kach es Ha’Mateh, but no V’Dibartem el Ha’Sela. Instead, there was more action, Vayach es Ha’Sela. The speech of Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the embodiment of Torah, was missing. The main sin was that of Moshe Rabbeinu; action instead of speech. As the Medrash Rabbah on our parsha attests (19,9), though Aharon was punished along with Moshe, Aharon didn’t sin.
When Moshe is initially told to speak to the rock, the pasuk says, V’Nasan Maimav. The rock will give its waters. The Sfas Emes learns from the words V’Nasan Maimav, that the water was meant to be a Matanah, a present from Hashem. But when Moshe hit the rock instead of speaking to it, the pasuk says Vayeitzu Mayim Rabim. Much water flowed from the rock, but it wasn’t a Matanah from Hashem.
What is the significance of the water being a present?
The water which was meant to flow from the rock was the Pi Ha’Be’er, the mouth of the well. And the mouth of the well is the wellsprings of Torah. It represents our deep connection to Hashem, which is, of course, the Torah. And the present of water is really the present of Torah. The Tikunei Zohar teaches that had Moshe Rabbeinu spoken to the rock as commanded, the Torah would have been a present to Clal Yisrael and would never be forgotten. Our connection to Torah would have been as deep as the water in a well and would always be imprinted in our soul.
Good Shabbos
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